Yustia Banquet (11)
Before the banquet began,
One by one, the invited guests began to arrive.
They wore expressions of pride, as if receiving Iriel's invitation meant they had earned the Yustia family's personal endorsement.
The nobles, dressed in their most extravagant finery, strutted about with feigned nonchalance, taking in the splendor of the Yustia banquet hall.
Tables adorned with dazzling jewels, soft music drifting through the air,
a pristine floor without a speck of dust.
A subtle, pleasant fragrance wafted through the room.
Everywhere, exquisite furnishings gleamed in harmony, and a luxurious red carpet unfurled across the floor like a boast of the family's prestige.
The hall brimmed exclusively with the finest luxuries.
Servants in crisp, uniform attire greeted the nobles with disciplined poise.
Every detail was more than enough to set the guests' hearts racing with excitement.
"Hmmm, the Yustias have really pulled out all the stops this time."
One neutral faction noble, overwhelmed by the Yustia grandeur, remarked.
"Well, the imperial princes are coming, aren't they?"
"That's still up in the air. Deciding whether to attend amid the tension between Yohayden and Yustia can't have been easy."
"Ha, but Iriel delivered the invitation personally. No way they'd refuse."
The pro-Yustia noble shook his head, as if the very idea was absurd.
The neutral noble checked his watch. It was still well before the scheduled start time.
Yet already, clusters of nobles were raising glasses and chatting animatedly.
"The main event doesn't start for two hours, right? And look at this crowd already. Yustia is Yustia, through and through."
"Come on, let's mingle. There's someone over there I want to introduce you to."
"Ahem!"
The neutral noble nodded reluctantly and followed along.
Soy Spoon frowned as she prepared for the banquet at the bakery.
"I-is this right?"
That day, she had eagerly picked up tips on makeup, hairstyling, and dressing from various experts by peeking over their shoulders. But her clumsy, inexperienced hands kept making everything look off.
"Sis! The ban—"
Just then, her younger brother James burst through the door.
He tilted his head in confusion.
"Sis?"
He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing straight.
"Sis..."
James called out to her with a grave expression.
"Sis. Seriously, you're going like that?"
"I-is it weird?"
"Yeah, totally."
James nodded solemnly.
Even charitably, Soy Spoon looked like a child who had smeared on her mother's makeup.
Her face was a garish patchwork of colors, her waist cinched too tightly in an awkward dress, her hair a messy tangle.
The only saving grace was the expensive necklace and bracelets.
Of course, those were just accessories she could slip on—no skill required.
"Ughhh... what do I do?"
Soy made a miserable face in the mirror.
Even she could see it didn't look anything like the image she'd aimed for.
A hilariously disastrous girl stared back, on the verge of tears right along with her.
"Th-this won't do. I'll close up shop and go get Mom and big sis."
James, looking flustered, made a snap decision and rushed out to fetch them.
"Pfft! Snrk! Kyahahaha!"
"Pfft, Soy!"
"......"
Soy bit her lip hard.
Silia burst out laughing the moment she saw her face.
And her mother, trying desperately to hold it in, covered her mouth and turned away.
With all the gifts and even a dress provided just to attend the banquet, she couldn't exactly back out now.
She had to go.
But no one seemed to grasp the gravity of the situation.
"I'm being serious! What am I gonna do? If I go like this, I'll just be a laughingstock!"
Soy shouted, her face deadly serious.
"Pffft hahaha. S-Soy. Hehe. D-don't worry, pfft. I'll help you, pfft!"
"Haha, M-Mom will help too, hnnng!"
From outside, James's maniacal laughter echoed.
"Grr..."
That day, after the duke's daughters and Soy left with stiff expressions,
Zeke asked seriously where Soy had gone.
Silia listed off the shops Soy frequented.
Soon after, packages began arriving at the bakery one by one.
Expensive-looking items at a glance.
Even when they asked in shock what on earth this was, the deliverers only mentioned "Elise" and insisted on leaving them there.
Watching the scene, Silia, her mother, and James could only think one thing.
Instructor gave these as gifts!
They weren't commoners who could accept such lavish presents without a twinge of unease.
But given everything Zeke had shown them so far,
they knew he wouldn't want the gifts returned.
- What do we do with these...? If we accept too much... Soy'll feel burdened.
- F-for now, let's ask Soy when she gets back and decide then.
That's what they thought, but when Soy finally returned to the bakery, they were even more shocked.
They bowed deeply, mistaking her for some noble lady visiting the bakery.
- S-Soy! How... N-no, all this...
- I'm going to bed. Don't bother me.
Soy stormed into her room with a grim face and pulled the covers over her head.
- Little sis, something must've happened.
- We should return the gifts...
- No, our girl's smart and decisive. If it really bothered her, she wouldn't have taken them. If she changes her mind tomorrow, she'll send them back herself. Let's leave them for now.
After that, Soy's expression stayed so grave that the family couldn't bring themselves to ask casually.
Since she hadn't sent the gifts back, they figured she'd decided to accept them.
Now, as they helped her get ready, they finally had a chance to talk as a family.
Her mother and Silia were deliberately keeping things light to cheer her up.
With that, Soy stripped off the ruined outfit, took another bath, and sat in a chair.
"Soy, we can't make you look like some duke's lady."
"Right, our girl. Let's just go for something that suits you? Everyone has their own style."
Silia and her mother said as they brushed out Soy's hair.
"......I didn't want to stand out and draw stares..."
Soy mumbled in a deflated voice.
"But the instructor's coming too, right? Ask him to watch out for you. From what I saw, he seems to care about you a lot."
Silia grinned mischievously.
"N-no, it's not like that!"
"Oh, come on~ He gave you gifts like these and you're denying it?"
"Hmm, from what Mom saw, he does seem to favor you especially. He looks so serious... and not much older, either. How'd he even become an instructor?"
"This is all from the young ladies."
"Sure, sure."
Soy grumbled in response, but her mother and sister wore faces that clearly didn't buy it.
"Soy, what's the instructor like?"
Her mother asked as she applied makeup to Soy's face.
"......The instructor?"
'What’s he like?'
Soy still struggled to put it into words.
- Took me a while to find you.
- Pardon?
- Stay right there. Don't move.
He placed a hand on her shoulder and stared straight into her eyes.
His black eyes trembled, desperately searching for something.
Like a traveler in the desert seeking water.
What had he been trying to see in her?
How long had their eyes locked?
Suddenly, the instructor broke into a radiant smile.
Beside her, the frozen Iriel and Serena bit their lips and ground their teeth.
- I, Z-Zeke smiling like that? First time I've seen it.
- S-see? Shouldn't have dolled her up. Makes her stand out too much from her usual... Argh! You cliff! This is all your fault!!!
But Soy hadn't heard their voices.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heart pounded so loudly she worried he could hear it.
"His smile is so pretty..."
Recalling that moment, Soy murmured blankly without realizing it.
Flinch.
Her mother and Silia's hands froze at the unexpected reply to their casual question.
They turned to each other and met eyes.
Then nodded.
"I-is that so! Then we'll make your smile pretty today too, Soy."
"Y-yeah, just trust Mom!!"
By now, the banquet had already begun,
and majestic music flowed from the Yustia mansion.
Nearly all the invited nobles and imperial family members had arrived.
Soy Spoon, who didn't even know how to procure a carriage, stumbled along in high heels, running as best she could.
'L-late!'
Her mother and Silia had been just as clumsy with the dress, taking forever.
Hah.
Hah.
She caught her breath, panting up to her chin.
Finally reaching the Yustia mansion,
Soy approached the doorman at the banquet hall entrance.
He spotted her and his eyes twitched.
"H-here."
Soy shakily handed over her invitation.
The man examined it, tilting his head quizzically.
"Which house's lady are you?"
"I-I'm a classmate... taking lessons with Iriel..."
Soy said in a timid, uncertain voice.
The man frowned, clearly displeased.
"How dare you use casual speech with Lady Iriel Yustia? And... a classmate?"
The doorman eyed her suspiciously, as if she might be an imposter.
"S-sorry! At the academy, we agreed to use casual speech among classmates, so I got confused..."
"Which class?"
"S-swordsmanship."
"So, which house's lady are you?"
His questions probed like an interrogation of a criminal, dripping with doubt.
Soy wanted nothing more than to turn tail and flee home.
"......A c-common..."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Then, a man's voice cut in from behind.
Cold and low, laced with menace.
Soy whipped around at the familiar voice.
Black hair, sharp eyes, dressed in his military uniform.
His usual stoic face was furrowed in clear displeasure.
'Instructor!?'
Zeke stepped forward, shielding Soy with his back.
"Lady Elise is my student. I'll vouch that she received the invitation directly from Iriel in my class."
Zeke pulled out his own invitation and held it out.
The doorman took it, his eyes widening.
"Z-Zeke Clayman!"
"That's right. Zeke Clayman. Do I need to prove my house and identity too?"
"N-no, sir. We know of you well, Instructor Zeke Clayman."
"Then why give her the third degree?"
The man broke into a cold sweat under Zeke's glare.
"Sh-she's a lady whose face isn't well-known... so I was confirming her identity..."
"Hah, identity check. Then why bother sending invitations? This is highly displeasing."
As Zeke's voice dropped threateningly, the doorman gulped hard.
"I'll tell Iriel personally. That your invitations offer zero assurance of identity."
"N-no! I'm sorry!!! P-please, go in!!"
The doorman froze rigid and bowed deeply.
Step.
Step.
Zeke strode forward, face impassive, staring straight ahead.
Then he glanced back.
"Elise."
"Y-yes!?"
"You coming?"
Zeke nodded toward the banquet hall.
"Y-yes!!"
Soy, flustered, hurried after him on quick steps.